Electric switch



o. s. PLATT'. ELECTRIC SWITCH.

(No Model.)

No. 427,523. Patented May 6, 1890.

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OCRCN S. PLATT, CF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.A

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,523, dated May 6, 1890.

Application filed October 3l, 1889. Serial No. 328,881. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, OCRON S. PLATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Faireld and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in electric switches, but particularly to the variety of switches known as double-pole switches, and the object of my invention is to provide'a switch in which the contacts shall be equally spring-actuated both in their making and in their breaking movement, in which the movement of the bar shall be effected by means of a rotatable handle, and in which, in order to effect the change of position desired, the handle may be turned in either direction. This latter is of great convenience to the operator, and, moreover, saves the breakage likely to occur to switches adapted to be turned in one direction only bya sudden and violent twist in the wrong direction.

Vith these ends in view my invention consists in the construction and combination of elements hereinafter fully explained and then recited in the claims. l

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may fully understand its construction and operation, I will describe the same in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of Vthis specification, and in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the switch open; Fig. 2, a sectional side elevation in its closed position; Fig. 3, a plan view with the housing horizontally sectioned; Fig. 4, a transverse detail section at line o@ .fr of Fig. 5; Fig. 5, a detail section of the sliding block and its operating-cam, and Fig. 6 a detail elevation of the same parts and in the same position as shown at Fig. 5.

' Like numerals denote the same parts in all the iigures.

l is the base, having thereon the terminals 2, properly insulated from each other.

3 is a housing forming a bearing in which the contact-bar may slide. Said housing' is preferably supported on four legs and has a closed top.

4 is the contact-bar, open at its center, as shown at Fig. 3, and arranged to slide vertically in the housing. Upon its ends the bar carries suitable contact plates or brushes 5, adapted to engage the terminals.

A spindle 6, having handle 7, passes vertically through the top of the housing and has a lower end bearing in the base. Secured upon and adapted to turn with said spindle is a grooved cam S, the groove being substantially in the shape shown at Fig. 6 upon both sides thereof. Surrounding this cam and having pins 9 engaging the groove is a sliding block l0, having outwardlyprojecting ears ll. Between these ears, on each'sidle of the block, are pivoted links 12, whose outer ends have elongated openings, through which pass pins 13, secured in the contact-bar. Springs 14 are coiled about the links, so as to exert a constant pressure against the block on the one hand and the pins ou the contact-bar on the other.

The operation of my invention is as fol lows: Vhen the switch is closed, (see Fig. 2,) the force exerted by the springs tends to retain the contacts in engagement with the terminals. In changing the position of the contact-bar the handle is turned, and this, by the rotation of the cam, whose groove acts after the manner of a Screw upon the pins in the block, carries the said block downward toward the position in which it appears in Fig. l. As the block descends, the links slide on their slot-connections with the pins, thereby compressing the springs. After the block has been carried past the center of the bar, the springs acting against the block as a base exert theirforce to throw the bar upward and out of contact with the terminals. The movement of the bar in both directionsis entirely effected by the springs, and is very quickly accomplished. No movement of the bar oc- 'curs when operating the switch until the block has passed the center of the bar, and thereby permits the springs to act upon the IOO latter from its other side, when the full throw of the bar takes place instantly.

In this switch the principal advantage attained is the operation of the springs by means of a handle mediately connected t0 the base, to which said springs are attached, which handle may be operated by rotation in eithervdirection.

I claim- 1. In an electric switch, the combination, with the terminals, of a contact-bar, the ltwo throw-springs adapted to actuate the bar in both directions, the links, and a freely rotative spindle mediately connected with and adapted to change the position of the base against which the springs act, substantially as specified.

2. In an electric switch, the combination, with theterminals, of the contact-bar, the connecting-links, the movable base, the two throw-springs interposed between said base and the bar, and a rotative spindle mediately OCRON S. PLATT. Vitnesses:

S. H. HUBBARD, M. C. HINCHCLIFFE. 

